An Unexpected Meeting
by Noodle Fanatic
Summary: This is an AU taken place in the West in 1884. Based *stolen* (I mean very-borrowed-and-planning -to-credit-her-with-all-the-hard-work.) on fanart by artbylexie on Tumblr. (The great mind behind West!Lock.) Sadly, she wishes the cover of this fanfic not to be her art, so be it.
1. Welcome to the single life

_**A/N So this is based off some fanart I found on tumblr by artbylexie. I did not do it… nor come up with the idea of West!Lock. I do not own this drawing nor expect any credit. In this AU Sherlock is a little less of a sociopath and a little more human. That is the only way I could imagine him falling in love with Molly. **_

_**Characters:**_

_**Sherlock: the blacksmith/scientist**_

_**John: the town Doctor**_

_**Lestrade: the Sheriff**_

_**Mrs. Hudson: runs the saloon but "isn't the bartender"**_

_**Molly: the newly arrived school teacher with a love of science**_

_**Mycroft: the mayor**_

_**Moriarty: the outlaw**_

Sherlock wiped his brow of perspiration and went back to the forge hammering away thoughtlessly. He was so caught up in his work he did not notice his best friend, Doctor John Watson, enter.

"Sherlock," John started to speak then realised that Sherlock could not hear him.

"SHERLOCK!" Sherlock stopped hammering. "Oh, John, what a surprise. To what, do I owe the pleasure of this visit?" Sherlock asked putting down his hammer.

"Oh, I just came to deliver some good news." John said

"And what is that?" Sherlock asked pleasantly.

"I've just asked Mary to be my wife." John said casually. "Oh." Sherlock's eyes widened in surprise.

"Sherlock, is everything alright?" John asked as Sherlock sat down on his workbench.

"No its fine John, good for you." Sherlock stared absently into the distance.

"Oh Sherlock, don't worry, you will find love soon enough." John soothed. Sherlock rose and grabbed his crow bar.

"It's impossible though! The idea of me falling in love at first sight? It's romantic nonsense! There is no scientific rationale to it!" Sherlock waved the crowbar around impatiently.

"Here we go again, Sherlock its not science. You meet the right girl; and it just hits you like lightning. That's what happened with Mary and I. The first time we met, I couldn't keep my eyes off of her." Sherlock rolled his eyes and walked away.

"It will happen to you, just wait and see."

**Later...**

Sherlock sat down at Mrs. Hudson's bar and ordered a beer from the bartender.

"Anything else sweetheart?" The bartender asked sweetly.

"No thanks." Sherlock said sourly as the bartender slipped a glass into his hand. It was only moments later that Sheriff Lestrade sat down next to him.

"Did you hear the good news? John and Miss Morstan are getting married! That's almost everyone in the town!" Sherlock groaned and took a sip of his drink.

"Listen, I need your help. You've heard of the infamous outlaw Jim Moriarty?" He's about six miles out of the town. I need you to track him down." Lestrade whispered

"You're a Sheriff, you do it." Sherlock muttered

"I would, but it's the wifey and my anniversary, I need to be home. Will you go?" Sherlock got up and walked out of the Saloon and grabbed his hat.

"Honey, you forgot to pay!" The bartender cried.

"Put it on my tab."

**Even later...**

"Hiyah!" Sherlock cried flicking the reigns up, urging his black horse to go faster. His shotgun was strapped to his back and his coat billowed in the wind. He saw up ahead a group of bandits surrounding carriage.

"Ho." he commanded as he reached the pillagers.

"Junk. Junk. Junk. That's all I found over here." One man's voice said gruffly.

"Hey this is a pretty one." Another man pulled a pretty young brunette out of the carriage.

"Hey!" She cried.

"If you're smart you'll let go of her now." Sherlock said pointing his shotgun at the man.

"Hey boss! We've got company!" A third man poked his head out of the carriage.

"Oh! Hello!" The third man adjusted his tie and spread out his arms.

"Let her go!" Sherlock ordered pointed his gun at the suited man.

"Or what?" The man asked amused.

"I'll make you." Sherlock said smiling.

**20 minutes after that...**

20 minutes later, the two henchmen lay on the dirt unconscious, hit in the back of the head with the barrel of Sherlock's gun. Sherlock stood in front of Jim Moriarty with Moriarty's pistol pointed at his face.

"Isn't this a change of plans?" Moriarty said in a sing-song voice. Sherlock sighed and struck the pistol over Moriarty's head. He rushed to the side of the pretty young brunette and touched her shoulder gently.

"I'm alright now." She said and Sherlock noted she was English. She looked up at Sherlock and Sherlock realised that she was indeed pretty, beautiful even. And just like John said, he couldn't stop looking at her.

"Mister, you saved my life." She said staring up into the stunning green-blue eyes.

"You're very welcome, Miss…?"

"Hooper. Molly Hooper."

"Molly. What a beautiful name." Molly turned a deep red color.

"And you are?"

"Sherlock. Sherlock Holmes." "

Well, Mr. Holmes, I'm afraid my carriage wheel is broken and I need a lift to town." Molly said in a flirting tone.

"Oh! Where are you headed to? My horse can carry your luggage." Molly could have sworn the horse rolled his eyes.

"A town called Plum?"

"Well it just so happens that I live in Plum."

"Well then Mister Holmes, what are we waiting for?"


	2. Lesson under the stars

**Chapter 2**

_**A/N Special thanks to my supportive hard working, super smart, supportive, betas sconesRtasty and AglonAuthor you two are John and Sherlock to my…. uh… Anderson. Thanks again to Lexie who I give all the credit to for the ideas and fan art. If you want to sue me you may, but at least I enjoyed doing it.**_

"Can I buy you a drink?" Sherlock inquired.

"Sure." Molly said smiling. She really liked this man. He was handsome, indeed. With curly black hair that was tousled to perfection and deep green-blue eyes that looked like an ocean after a storm. His cheekbones were prominent and he was tall and pale.

"So, Miss Hooper, what brings you to Plum?" Sherlock asked as he waved the bartender over.

"I just got teaching job,at the local Elementary school." Molly explained.

"Oh! What is your favorite subject?" Sherlock asked

"Science. I know its silly,but I just like it." Molly said flushing.

"Are you kidding? I happen to be the town scientist!" Sherlock exclaimed. Molly tilted her head in disbelief and laughed.

"What? You don't believe me? Come on, I'll show you my lab!" He grabbed Molly's hand and pulled her off the bar stool. They were half way to the door when an outraged Lestrade came charging through the door.

"HOLMES! Where is Moriarty?" Lestrade asked

"Lestrade, I thought you were with your wife." Sherlock said stressing a smile

"We had a fight, she's with her sister." Lestrade explained

"But, that doesn't answer my question, where is Moriarty?" Lestrade asked

"I'm completely stupid and let him go." Sherlock said as Molly giggled at his side. Lestrade noticed Molly for the first time.

"Who's she?" He barked rudely.

"SHE has a name." Molly said

"Molly Hooper. Meet the law. Law, meet Molly." Sherlock said humorously

"Pleasure to meet you. Where is Moriarty?" Lestrade asked.

"I pickpocketed you earlier and grabbed three sets of handcuffs. I cuffed them and put them in the back of Miss Hooper's carriage. You can take Susan out to capture them." Sherlock waved absently at his horse. Lestrade nodded and ran off.

"I'm sorry, he's normally ruderer." Sherlock smiled as he helped open the door for Molly. Molly chuckled and Sherlock added her laugh onto the list of things he liked about her. On this list was: her hair, the way she blushed when Sherlock complimented her, her sweetness, her brown eyes and full lips, and her laugh that was a mixture of a sigh and a light giggle.

"So, would you still like to see my lab?" Sherlock asked.

"I would love that Mister Holmes." Molly smiled.

"Now, thats enough of that, if we are to be friends, you must call me Sherlock."

"Are we friends?" Molly asked hopefully

"I'd like to think so, Miss Hooper."

"That's Molly to you."

"Yes Miss Ho- I mean, Molly."

**A little while later in Sherlock's lab…**

"This is amazing!" Molly said running around the lab picking up things and examining them

"Did you make all this stuff?" Molly asked

"Yes." Sherlock modestly looked down at his shoes.

"Incredible." She breathed

"No one else seems to think so." Sherlock said.

"Well I do." Molly said putting down the object.

"Sherlock?" John voice carried down from upstairs.

"I'm down here!" Sherlock shouted

"Good. I brought you some tea, to help you feel better." John climbed down the corkscrew stairs a tray of tea in his hands.

"Sorry about earlier, didn't mean to flaunt my engagement in your face or anything I just thought that…" John stopped abruptly when he saw Molly. He made eye contact with Sherlock and they had what could only be described as a telepathic conversation.

"_Sherlock, there is a girl in your lab." _

"_I am aware, John." _

"_An actual, proper girl." _

"_Yes, John."_

"_So…"_

"_So what? John."_

"_So ask her out on a date."_

"_To go where?" _

"_Sightseeing! I don't know." _

"_Really?Sightseeing?"_

"Erm… Molly?"

"Yes?"

"Would you like a tour of the town?" Sherlock asked

"I would love one."

**Later, during the town tour…**

"And that is the Mayor's office." Sherlock tried to looked pleased but failed doing so.

"You don't like the mayor." Molly guessed

"He's a real pain." Sherlock explained

"My brother has a way of getting under my skin."

"Your brother?" Molly asked

"Oh right, I forgot you're new here. Mycroft Holmes is my brother."

"How did the blacksmith slash scientist have a brother who's the mayor?" Sherlocked looked at Molly incredulously.

"I never told you was a blacksmith." Molly flushed pink.

"It wasn't that hard. Burn marks on your fingers indicate working around fire. Knitted eyebrows indicate concentration for long periods of time and your hands are callused which means working with tools."

"Thats incredible!" Sherlock praised.

"Why thank you." Molly said. She suddenly stopped.

"What?"Sherlock inquired.

"This is my place." Molly pointed to a small village house.

"Oh." Sherlock's eyes dimmed when he realised the night was coming to a close.

"Do you want to see something amazing?" Molly grabbed his hand and Sherlock was surprised to feel a tingling feeling from his fingers to his toes.

**Molly's backyard, 10ish minutes later…**

"And that one there? That one's called Andromeda," Molly said, her soft breath brushing against his cheek as Molly leaned to show him the constellation. Suddenly she chuckles and sits back. "I'm sorry, I'm treating you like one of my students! Surely you know about constellations."

Sherlock found himself wanting to hear more, sitting away from the propped up telescope and facing her. "No, please don't apologize. I am enjoying the lesson, really.I've always found astronomy rather dull, but not with you teaching it."

The light from the lamp they'd hung let him see the flush in her cheeks and he smiled.

"You blush a lot." He noted

"Yeah.." Molly pushed a stray hair behind her ear.

"Where'd you get such a magnificent telescope?" Sherlock asked

"Well, when I was a child, I came down with the measles and I was quarantined for weeks. My father bought me this so I could still explore." Molly's face was tipped up to the night sky. "It's just one of the things that made me just…want to know more. About everything." She let the sentence hang in the air between them before she remembered who she was with, her blush deepening.

"Sorry! I'm rambling! Oh gosh."

"It's quite alright actually. You say what's on your mind. I like that." Molly looked at the stars again

"Glorious aren't they? Million and millions miles away… yet so close."

Sherlock was looking at her in wonder. "Molly Hooper, you are…I've never met a woman quite like you before."

She looked at him then, her eyes meeting his green ones steadily. "I've never met a man like you before, Sherlock Holmes." He glanced down to see she'd placed her hand over his.

It was strange and startling to feel an almost electric shock when their skin touched. But that wasn't possible…was it? His body seemed to want to investigate by turning his hand to wrap his fingers around hers and reaching with his free hand for hers.

Sherlock didn't mean to… but his lips came crashing down onto Molly's almost if something had magnetized them.

The electric charge between them was undeniable. And it made Sherlock feel so _alive_.

Lightning indeed.

"My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations." Molly said as they broke away slightly breathless.

"Did you come up with that?" Sherlock asked

"My dad."

"It's genius, you're genius." Sherlock wanted nothing more than to feel the electric pulses surge through his lips and into his veins. So he bent down and kissed Molly again. Then again once more.


	3. Murder! How fun!

**Chapter 3**

_**A/N Even though this fanfiction is getting less popularity than I thought it would, I still enjoy it. Its fun and fluff, basic stuff. Please review! It makes my day. Stolen idea from the amazing artist lexie find her on tumblr; artbylexie and tell her I sent you.**_

Sherlock was in bliss. He had never quite felt the way he felt now, light, and happy. Humming thoughtlessly and tipping his hat to random people. He sat down at the the bar and ordered a drink from Mrs. Hudson.

"I'm not the bartender you know." As she went to make Sherlock a cup of tea. Sherlock simply sighed and cradled his chin with his hands.

"My goodness! What has gotten into you? Has the great Sherlock Holmes finally found love?" Mrs. Hudson scoffed.

"Maybe." Sherlock shrugged and took an idle sip of his tea. Moments later, Dr. John Watson came bursting into the saloon with his fiancee Mary,following quickly behind.

"How'd it go last night?" John asked

"Can I have a cup of tea?" Mary asked .

"I'm not the bartender." She mumbled to herself as she went to grab a tea cup.

"We walked around town and then she showed me the stars." Sherlock shrugged. Mary sighed.

"That's so romantic! Nothing like when first started to court! John wasn't exactly a gentleman back then."

"Oi! I've gotten better haven't I?"

"Sure honey." Mary assured patting his back.

"So when will you see her again?" Sherlock shrugged. Just then Molly came bursting into the Saloon her hair windblown and her eyes bright with excitement.

"Ooooohh… she is a pretty one isn't she?" Mary murmured into her tea. John elbowed her playfully as Sherlock stood.

"Molly, what's the matter?" asked Sherlock

"There's been a murder." Molly said breathlessly.

"You look awfully happy for it to be a murder."

"I get to run the case." Molly explained.

"I was asked to fetch Dr. Watson and Mister Holmes at once." Molly brightly stated. John and Mary ran out leaving Sherlock and Molly alone. She walked over to Sherlock and gave him a quick kiss on the lips. Sherlock's eyes stayed open in surprise.

"Let's go." She whispered as she dragged Sherlock into the sun.

**At the scene of the crime…**

A young girl with pretty blond hair was crying delicately while Mary soothed her. She looked up at Sherlock her green eyes glassy.

"He was so young." She whispered as tears fell freely down her face. Sherlock's brain went on autopilot, doing deductions at a rapid speed.

_Married. No children. New Yorker. 20ish. _At the same time, Molly's brain was doing the same thing:

_Three siblings. Journalist. Gardener. Cook. _

"Um… Mrs….?"

"Parker. Marie Parker." She said her voice milky.

"Will you tell us what happened?" Molly asked her sweet voice wafting around the room. Sherlock shivered and he knew it wasn't because there was a slight chill.

"I was just working in the garden, when I heard my husband's scream from upstairs. I rushed up there and saw my husband dead on the ground." Marie sobbed and went back to crying.

"The body's upstairs." Sherlock whispered to Molly.

"Race you." Molly said running out into the hallway and up the stairs.

**Where the body is…**

"Time of death… approximately…" John Watson looked over the body again

"9:30 this morning." Molly murmured

"How'd you know that?" John asked.

"When Mr. Parker fell, he broke his wrist watch. It stopped at 9:30. Sherlock smiled at John's disbelief and went back to examining the body.

"What did Mr. Parker do for a living?" Sherlock asked out loud as he checked his pockets.

"He owned a store." Molly said pulling receipts and records of stock out of his coat.

"Well perhaps we should give this store a little visit."

**Mr. Parker's store…**

"I can't believe he's dead." The young boy said.

"Yes a tragedy… Mister..?"

"Alcott. Benjamin, Alcott."

"What do you do in the store?" Molly asked. Benjamin blinked and focused on Molly. He blushed and Sherlock felt of a surge of jealousy.

"I'm 's apprentice. I do inventory and stocks. I'm also his third in command."

"Who's the second?" Sherlock asked

"Why, Mrs. Parker, his wife."

" I need to go back to work. I hope I could be a service." Benjamin said walking away.

"Dr. Watson, what did you say the cause of death was?" Molly asked

"Um, blood loss… he got hit in the back of the head with a blunt object."

"Like a gardening tool?" Sherlock exchanged looks with Molly.

"I think we left behind our most important suspect."

**Back at the Parker house…**

"You think I killed my husband? No."

"Mrs. Parker, you have no proof that you were in the garden. Wives have plenty of motives for killing their husbands: jealousy, greed, anger. What's to say you didn't kill him… unless you have a solid alibi." Sherlock said in his baritone voice.

"I'm afraid I don't." She said. Molly leaned over to Sherlock and Sherlock bent down to hear what she was saying.

"I feel like we're missing an important piece of evidence. Mrs. Parker and her husband have been married for 15 years. I don't think she killed him."

"Then who did?"

"I think someone framed with the intention of Mr. Parker being dead and Mrs. Parker behind bars." Molly said

"Who? Who would have a motive to kill two successful business partners?" Sherlock met Molly's eyes and something clicked.

"The apprentice!" They both shouted in unison as Sherlock kissed Molly's head and ran out the door.

**Later…**

"Mr. Holmes and Miss Hooper! For a job well done!" Lestrade raised his glass.

"Yayyyy!"

Sherlock smiled as Molly slipped her hand into his and Sherlock felt the surge of warmth and electricity that made the hair on his arms stand up straight.

"Cheers." Molly held up her glass to Sherlock's and clinked it softly.


	4. The one with an update

_**Hello. So I know its been a while. Finals. Sorry. And as much as I would love to update this story, I can't. I really don't have the heart. I believe they call it writer's block. I'm reading a book called "Fangirl" and if you haven't read it, I highly recommend it. It is making me think I should focus on real life. (I know blech! Really deep stuff.) So I'm taking this summer to discover who I am and what I'm going to do with my life. (I know your probably thinking, you're only 15...) But seriously. This is a work of fiction. The characters and scenarios are not real. So I'm not abandoning this fic. I'm not sure if I'll ever even finish it. But I appreciate your support in the matter.**_

_**-Best,**_

_**Noodle Fanatic**_


End file.
